Smart dogs -- smart cats: Which species is really smarter?

Got dogs? Then, you know the feel of that happy, wet kiss on your face. Carmie used to love to give out kisses whenever we played the baby-talk game with her. Come on, you do it, too...you talk baby-talk to your dog, "Oh my widdow baby boy -- isn't he the bestest doggie in this whole world?" In that high-pitched voice, of course. And, your dog LOVED it, be honest. That tail was likely going a mile a minute.

Got cats? Don't try the baby talk thing with your cat. He'll give you a deep stare that clearly says, "You have surely lost your mind. If this keeps up, I will be forced to find a new parent - one that gives me the proper respect."

Right? Well, Wabby gives me that look all the time, even when I talk nicely to her. It's a cat thing, I guess.

Which brings me to this question: who's smarter: dogs or cats? Touch a nerve, did I? Cat people say cats, and dog people say dogs, of course.

This article has lots to say, like, "It's nearly impossible to compare the two because they have different natures. Dogs are hard wired to be social creatures, and therefore have 'social intelligence' says author and professor Jeffrey Masson, Ph.D., who takes issue with the notion of intelligence in any being. He believes each species has the intelligence it needs to live in its own world. It benefits dogs to interact and cooperate with others, because in the wild it takes a pack of dogs working together to bring down a larger animal for dinner. Masson says there is a certain prejudice for dog intelligence because their social nature is more like our nature."

It seems to me that Dr. Masson hasn't spent much time around dogs and cats. LOTS of cats are friendly, cuddly, and some are even willing to learn a few tricks. So, that means they're just as smart as dogs - by his estimation.

It's really not about "smart" is it? Just like people, some dogs are keen on learning (like the kewl Incredible Dog Challenge dogs) and some aren't. Some cats are fun loving and learning tricks isn't something they do for us, it's something they do for the fun of it (IMHO).

The Petcentric article goes on to quote Dr. Masson saying, "If you're basing intelligence on the ability to learn commands, the dog clearly wins." And, "If you're basing intelligence on the ability to be an independent thinker, doing as one chooses, whether or not it meets the approval of others, the cat clearly wins."

So, the issue isn't which species is smarter -- it's -- which cat or dog is likely to do the smart tricks we want to teach them? I have to agree with Dr. Masson when he says, "The truth is, dogs are much smarter at being dogs, and cats are way smarter at being cats." And, if you have a dog and cat household, the fact that one or the other of them might get mixed up about what species they are has nothing to do with how smart they are. It has to do with personality. (I'm pretty sure Carmie thought she was a cat, every now and then)

Personality trumps smarts in my book. How about you -- do you think dogs or cats are smarter?